Moorad would boost strength in draft

Padres farm system has underachieved

What quality of farm system would a Jeff Moorad-led group inherit if, as Moorad strongly implied Friday, his cadre soon buys control of the Padres from John and Becky Moores?

Average or a tad less, somewhat on the rise yet still playing catch-up in the search for high-upside talent, say several scouts and other major league evaluators interviewed recently by the Union-Tribune.

The Padres of Moores have mostly underachieved at producing homegrown players since Moores became majority owner in 1994. Under CEO Sandy Alderson, hired by Moores in 2005, the club has sharply increased its investments in the system.

The expectation among a few prominent player-agents is that Moorad, a former agent himself, would attack the amateur draft with greater financial vigor than the Moores regimes generally have.

“Jeff believes in going after draft picks,” said agent Scott Boras, a former rival of Moorad's whose yearly stable of future clients includes several players chosen in the first round. “You've got to remember: Jeff cut his teeth in the baseball business representing draft players.”

Moorad represented more than 40 first-round selections. He set draft records with deals for Pat Burrell (1998) and Darin Erstad (1995).

As an agent, Moorad had a front-row seat for some of the Friar Follies in distant drafts. Moorad was advising Carlsbad High star Troy Glaus in 1994, the year that then-Padres Scouting Director Kevin Towers selected Glaus 37th overall based on intelligence that the Padres could sign him. Not swayed by the money OK'd by the Tom Werner-led ownership group, Glaus opted for UCLA, three years later went third overall to the Angels and, like Todd Helton, another corner infielder drafted but not signed by the Padres, became an All-Star and long-term fixture.

Five years ago it was Moorad who advised Mission Bay High shortstop Matt Bush about how much cash he could command from a drafting club. Not heeding their scouts' recommendation to use the draft's top pick on shortstop Stephen Drew, the Padres selected Bush after quickly reaching an understanding with Moorad that Bush would sign for $3.15 million.

Padres insiders questioned whether the club's upper management made Moores a persuasive case on the merits of investing some $5 million in Drew, who would get $5.5 million from the rival Diamondbacks after they selected him 15th.

Moores, though, had cited in-house research that Boras clients are a “bad bet” in the draft.

As general partner of the Diamondbacks, Moorad inherited in Drew a budding shortstop who would help Arizona reach the National League Championship Series in 2007. Drew gave Arizona a strong season in 2008.

Moorad's D-backs two years ago signed a Boras client drafted in the first round, pitcher Max Scherzer, at well above the rate for his draft position.

Moorad also OK'd a $6.1 million investment in high school shortstop Justin Upton, selected first overall by Arizona in 2005.

Padres plans to shrink their 2009 major league payroll by some 40 percent are not an indication that the club also will cut back in the draft. On the contrary. The Padres have discussed the potential of investing up to $6 million on the player they select next June with the third pick overall.